Technology of any sort fascinates the young. I remember my children tearing things apart to see how they worked. They wanted to see what was inside. Oh-no! They did not know how to put things back together. At school, science teachers cater to this curiosity by giving students hands-on experience with organisms and tools. However, imagine the classroom's reaction if you told students that you were going to let them break things and then teach them to put it back together! I am sure the students would be excited about it, without even considering that they will be learning something.
The concept of making things up was introduced to me long time ago as a child. My mother used to make rag dolls. We used our imagination and had almost everything for the doll including long hair, earrings and sticks for hands. Of course they wore saris but still it was a lot of fun playing with them. Knitting and sewing was quite common at the time. So naturally doll making became an everyday activity where we kept making and breaking the dolls. We helped our mothers pull yarn out of old sweaters, wind them into balls, and later watched them knit sweaters with it.
Creating and making things up is engaging and full of fun; but taking things apart is equally important. Actually, for children, taking things apart is more interesting as it ignites an inner drive to understand the world around us. That includes taking things apart and finding answers to their questions. You are probably thinking, "It sounds good, but how do we introduce this in the classroom?"
Once you have decided you want to give it a try, the next step is to get resources for the classroom. It is best to start with breaking/taking things apart, starting with broken electrical gadgets. Anything from broken cell phones to electric switches to plugs and sockets (things that catch children's attention), but remind them that they have to remember what goes where. They can even use their notebooks to take notes and make pictures. After everything is taken apart, ask them to reassemble things again. You will need a regular set of tools for the classroom but remember that the things they learn will be transferrable to everyday situations. So it's important they learn with proper tools.
Relax! Creation doesn't have to cost a lot. You can use anything. Even a banana leaf can be used to make a horse that several children can ride at a time; the same as wooden horse that we played with. You can begin with readily available materials: buttons, bottle caps, string, clay, construction paper, broken toys, and tape. Children thrive on challenge, especially the 'hard fun' that inspires them to dig deeper to construct big ideas. Making is a way of bringing engineering concepts to young learners. Making, breaking and repairing, also known as tinkering, is a powerful form of learning by doing.
We all know that real science and engineering consists of tinkering. For children making and owning their creations is sheer pleasure. We are rich in resources, and local skill is everywhere, whether it's making sukkul, or chakati out of cornhusk or something out of clay. All it takes is imagination. Let children go wild with their imagination when creating new things.
The current buzz about personalized learning is well-placed because learning happens inside. Learning is always personal; no one can force you to do it. Hence providing the opportunity for children to master what they know results in them loving what they learn. We have to understand that if a person cannot open something they cannot own it. The same goes for learning. Learners should own their learning, but again if the learner does not have control, they cannot own it.
We as guardians need to consider that prepackaged experiences, even in the name of efficiency, deprive students from owning their learning. Making, on the other hand, puts them in charge. Giving students time to brainstorm, invent, design, and build—and then time to fix mistakes, improve, test, and improve again is crucial. This converts teachers into guides, studio managers, and motivators.
Instead of lecturing students about inventions, teachers should engage them. Whether you are getting started in your classroom or building a space for 'makers', the most important thing to remember is that making is about understanding the world, not just about the "stuff." Making connections and meanings should be a part of classroom learning. The students will need to fit in the new science standard that has started emphasizing critical thinking, creativity and analytical thinking: the 21st century skills.
To achieve these goals we need to take a hard look at both what we teach and how we teach it and emphasize on making, inventing and creativity. Teachers in a 'maker' classroom will offer lessons, tools, and technologies to steer students toward more relevant, engaging learning experiences. These are active classrooms where students are engaged, often working on multiple projects simultaneously, and teachers unafraid of relinquishing their authoritarian control to encourage a new generation of inventors.
Finally, don't treat breaking and making as a side activity to an already overtaxed curriculum. Giving students the opportunity to explore and learn on their own enhances critical thinking and engages them, to start gathering those unwanted electronics and prepare their own 'un-maker'/'maker' space. Let the fun begin!
usha@pokharel.net
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